Fighting Games
by krzed
Summary: In which Marinette makes a shocking discovery and Adrien has great legs. One-sided reveal


"Why did I let you talk me into dressing like this, Alya?"

"Because I told you Adrien was coming dressed as a Sailor Moon character and I _ _knew__ you wouldn't want to miss that."

"We could have at least gotten a shorter wig. I'm terrified I'll trip over these pigtails. Combine that with the fact that I'm not used to walking in heels..."

Alya nudged her best friend, who panicked as she nearly fell over. Alya grabbed her by the arm and offered a warm smile. "Don't worry to much! Seriously, girl, you look great! A+ craftsmanship on this."

Marinette's handmade Sailor Moon costume could have been mistaken for an official prop. It had taken time to afford the bridal satin she used for the bow and skirt, but she, per usual, refused to cut corners. Alya helped her hunt down a replica brooch and tiara set online for a reasonable price. Throw in a ridiculously long wig, a pair of red knee-length boots, and Marinette looked like Usagi had stepped right out of the television.

She tugged her laughably short blue skirt down as she walked. "I knew I cut the skirt too short."

"I figured you were trying to catch lover boy's attention."

Marinette grimaced. "Knowing my luck, he'd be more interested in you."

"Gee, what gives you that idea?"

Marinette eyed the bodysuit her friend wore: red and coated with black spots. She fixed her gaze on the hazel eyes behind a spotted mask. "Just a hunch, _ _Ladybug.__ "

Alya shrugged. "Hey, could Paris' beloved Ladyblogger be expected to wear anything else?"

They eventually reached their destination: one of the smaller ballrooms at Le Grand Paris, reserved for a Halloween party Chloé had demanded her father host. Honestly, the only reason anyone other than Adrien had been invited was because he insisted. So, she was forced to invite nearly the entire school. And once Marinette got a look at the crowd...

"Okay, I take it back," Marinette grumbled. "Adrien will be more interested in nearly __half__ the people here." ' _ _Chat Noir, too.__ '

Alya stamped her foot. "Knew I should have gone with Lady Wifi."

A sea of red and black spread before them. Almost every girl (and a few guys) wore red with black spots. There were a few Chat Noirs mixed in, some Akumas, and a scattered handful of more traditional costumes such as vampires and werewolves. Their 'gracious' host, surprising literally no one with her own Ladybug costume, leaned over the DJ's turntables trying to convince him to play a slow number, no doubt trying to rope Adrien into an intimate dance. The DJ, dressed in a green bodysuit with a brown shell on his back and a blue mask over his eyes, ignored her to the best of his ability.

"Is that Nino?" Marinette asked.

Alya smiled at her boyfriend. "Yeah, surprised Chloé let him DJ."

"The mayor probably didn't have to pay him that much since he's not a 'professional'." Marinette threw up air quotes and rolled her eyes.

The girls walked over to the DJ table just in time to hear Nino declare, "Look, Chloé, I'll throw out a few slow dances, but only when __I__ want to, kay? It's still too early in the party for that."

"But I want to dance with Adrien __now!__ "

He waved a hand out to the crowd. "Then go dance with him! You don't need a slow song for that!"

Chloé humphed and turned to walk back into the crowd, but stopped when she came face to face with Marinette and Alya. She looked up and down Alya's costume before muttering, "Copycat."

"Uh, no," Alya planted a fist on her hip. "Do I look like a Chat Noir clone to you?"

"You know what I mean," Chloé crossed her arms and growled. "I had a Ladybug costume before literally everyone else in Paris."

"Except for Ladybug," Marinette countered.

Chloé rolled her eyes. "Well, duh, Cheng, that's a given." She eyed Marinette's costume. "And what? So desperate for Adrien to notice you that you dressed like a stripper?"

Marinette's anger and blush flared as she pulled on her skirt again. "It's Sailor Moon, Chloé. She's a superhero from Japan."

"And inferior to Ladybug in every way. No modesty, impractical hair, and let me guess: her powers come from love and friendship?"

"Yes," Alya interrupted. "Love and friendship. Two things you know nothing about. Now, isn't Adrien waiting for you to harass him or something?"

Chloé clenched her jaw for a moment, then sighed and said, "You're right, Césaire. I have far better things to do than to mingle with you peons. Now, if you'll excuse me, my Adri-kitten needs me." She strode away and disappeared into the crowd, calling for her Chat Noir.

Alya and Marinette closed the distance between them and the DJ table. "I thought Adrien was dressed as a Sailor Moon character," Marinette pondered.

Nino held a finger up to his lips. "I told her he's dressed as Chat Noir, so she won't bother looking for anyone __not__ in black leather and cat ears."

"Way to go, Leo!" Alya held out her fist. "Pound it, turtle man!" Nino obliged, a blush on his face.

"So, Adrien's here?" Marinette felt her heart flutter. "Wh-who is he dressed as?"

Nino shrugged as he dug through his box of records. "He came dressed in a gray uniform with red trim. It's been years since I've seen Sailor Moon so I can't remember the guy's name."

"Probably Jadeite?" Marinette guessed.

Nino raised his head and snapped his fingers. "Yeah! That's it!" He blinked and lowered his head again, his previous excitement gone. "Except he's not dressed like that anymore," Nino corrected. "When he got here, he said he was slipping into the bathroom to change into his real costume. Guess it was something Gabe wouldn't approve of. Sorry."

Marinette's shoulders slumped. There was no guarantee Adrien was still dressed as a Sailor Moon character, so it would be that much more difficult to find him. He could be one of the guys dressed as Ladybug for all she knew.

"Don't worry, Mari," Alya a reassuring arm over her friend's shoulders. "We'll find him. We'll find him if we have to check ever _ _ohmigod are they the Sanderson sisters from Hocus Pocus I need a picture of that now__!" Alya tore her arm away from Marinette and dashed across the ballroom, pulling her phone from...Marinette cocked her head to the side. ' _ _Where was she keeping that__?"

"So, Sailor Moon with freckles, huh? I'm sure Adrien will find that pretty cute." Marinette turned back to Nino, a smirk beneath his blue mask. A smirk which quickly faded into flustered panic. "I mean, uh, not necessarily Adrien, just, uh, whoever this guy is that crush, I mean you have a crush on. You don't have a crush on Adrien. Who said that?"

Marinette shook her head. "It's okay, Nino. I think pretty much everyone in the class knows by now."

"Except the guy himself." He shot a finger gun at his friend. "And you need to fix that."

"If I can find him." She crossed her arms and gazed out into the teeming crowd. She turned back to Nino and asked, "You want some punch? Give me an excuse to mingle."

Nino nodded and Marinette waded into the horde of partygoers. She held her pigtails in her arms for fear of someone else stepping on them and ripping the wig from her head. As she made her way to the snack table, she saw Kim wearing a blue leotard and a luchador mask, Alix in a Supergirl costume, Juleka and Rose as Reflekta and Princess Fragrance (Marinette had to fight the urge to flinch away from them), but no Adrien. When she reached the snack tables, she looked up and down them for the punch bowl and spotted it at the opposite end from where she stood.

As she got closer, she noticed someone standing over it. She wore blue, high-heeled ankle boots, a white leotard, much like hers, and a skirt, also like hers but in a navy blue. White gloves trimmed in the same navy up to mid-forearm, a yellow ribbon on her chest held together by a heart-shaped blue crystal...Sailor Uranus. Marinette huffed to herself. ' _ _I wish__ my _ _legs looked that great in a skirt.__ '

"Excuse me," Marinette mumbled when she got closer to the punch bowl.

"Oh, of course," she said in an oddly familiar voice. "I was just...hey! Marinette! Great costume!"

Marinette looked up at the woman. "I'm sorry, do I know yooaaaaaaaaaaaaa..." Her jaw dropped.

Perfect blond hair framing a golden tiara. Piercing green eyes full of kindness and sincerity that were currently framed by mascara and modest eyeliner. A bright smile that shined even brighter due to a mild application of lip gloss. Yes, the face had a touch of blush to it, and the eyebrows were thinner, but she knew exactly who this was.

Adrien's smile faded. "You okay, Marinette?"

"...aaaaaaaaa-I! I am okay! Yes!" She straightened her back. ' _ _Okay, Marinette. Eye of the tiger. You can do this. You can speak around him without stuttering.__ ' "I-I just, uh...you, __you__!" ' _ _Aaaand you fail.'__ "You! Have a great costume! As well! Yeah..." She looked her- _ _him!__ Looked him over and whispered, "S-Sailor Uranus..."

His smile returned. "Yeah, pretty cool, huh?" He twirled around in front of her, his skirt billowing out. "Had it custom made right under Father's nose." He leaned in a whispered, "He has no idea I'm dressed like this. He'd have a heart attack!"

Marinette could only nod. Adrien. Her sweet, perfect Adrien...crossdressing. She didn't know what shocked her more: that he could pull it off, that his legs looked better than hers...

Or that she was just as attracted to him as ever, if not more so.

"Ssssooooo," she drawled. "Why...w-why..."

"Why dress like a girl?" He shrugged. "Better question is 'why not?' Halloween is the one day you can dress however you want and no one judges you." He held out a glass of punch Marinette didn't even notice him pour. "And Chloé's walked past me like three times. She doesn't recognize me!"

Marinette took the punch, still mostly speechless, her wide and shocked eyes never leaving him. She'd never seen this side of Adrien before. So unapologetically happy, so excited to be free of expectation, of his own identity. Almost like...

"So, are you here with Alya?"

Marinette shook herself from her stupor. "Uh, yeah! She's Ladybug. __Dressed__! She's __dressed__ as Ladybug."

"Yeah, her and the rest of Paris," he nodded to the crowd. "I'm gonna check in with Nino. You want to come?"

"Oh!" She set down her untouched punch and grabbed another glass. "I owe him some punch." When she finally had a glass of punch in each hand, she turned back to the crowd, but paused after a single step. "Ah, crap. My pigtails..." She looked down at them, trying to figure out how to hold them and two glasses of punch.

"Want me to get them?" Adrien offered.

Marinette looked up into his eyes. Why was she such a sucker for eyes? Even if those eyes were surrounded by perfectly applied mascara...what brand did he use? Marinette shrugged. A question for another time. "I-if it's not too much trouble."

"No trouble at all, Princess."

Marinette froze. ' _ _That sounded just like Chat.__ ' "Wha...what did you call me?"

"Uh, I uh..." Adrien stuttered for a moment before he forced a bashful smile. "P-Princess? As in Princess Serenity?"

"Oh, right." As he gathered up her pigtails, Marinette scolded herself, ' _ _Where did that thought come from? There is no way my sweet, kind, looks-better-than-me-in-a-skirt-and-that-is-so-unfair Adrien is my goofy, pun-tastic, flirtatious partner! Get a grip, Marinette!__ '

The pair made there way back through the crowd and up to the DJ booth, Adrien with his punch in one hand, and an armful of blonde hair in the other. Marinette called out to Nino as they approached, and the DJ looked up, his eyes brightening at the sight of his drink.

"Oh, bless you, Marinette," he gasped as he gulped it down. "Chloé 'insists' I stay up here until she gets her slow dance." He pointed at Marinette's punch. "Might not want to nurse that too long, girl. We're about to get some Thriller up in here!"

Adrien dropped Marinette's hair and pumped his fist. "Yes! I'm so ready for this! I've been practicing that dance for weeks, bro!"

"Bro?" Nino looked Adrien over and his mouth dropped open when realization set in. "Adri..." he almost shouted. He glanced around, and when he determined Chloé wasn't within earshot, he hissed, "Adrien?"

Adrien spread his arms and smiled. "In the flesh, dude."

Nino looked Adrien up and down again. "You have...boobs?"

Adrien cupped his hands beneath his 'breasts'. "Couple rolls of socks in a padded bra."

"Is it...I, uh...j-just know that I am comfortable in my masculinity when I say–" Nino's shoulders slumped "–you have __great__ legs."

Adrien turned one leg and looked down to his calf. "You think so?"

"Y-yeah! Do you...did you...shave?"

Adrien looked at Nino as though the answer should be obvious. "I'm a model, Nin. I shave __everything__."

Marinette choked on her punch. Thankfully, none spilled on her costume.

"Ohmigod! Marinette!" Alya charged back out of the crowd, holding up her phone in triumph. "There are so many good costumes out there! You need to-hoo, hellloooo!" Alya caught herself getting an eyeful of the long slender legs beneath Adrien's navy skirt and she him gave a borderline lustful smirk. "And who is this gorgeous Uranus?"

"Hi, Alya." Adrien answered.

Alya looked closer at his face, smirk still on her face, yet her eyes crossed the line from interested to confused, then to intrigued. "Agreste?" He nodded. She looked down, then back up. "Nice legs."

"Apparently everyone thinks my legs are hot," Adrien grinned. "Even Nino."

Alya glared at her boyfriend. "You cheating on me with this hussy?"

"Hey," Nino held up a finger. "I said he had great legs, not that I would make out with him."

Alya's eyes glittered with the makings of an insidious scheme, a look with which Marinette had become all too acquainted. "Speaking of making out," she hummed, her eyes trained on Marinette. The designer shrank under the gaze. "I would __love__ a picture of you two recreating __that__ scene from the manga."

' _ _Dammit Alya I know that scene and I'm going to kill you!__ ' "A-Alya, I wouldn't want to impose on A-Adrien like that..."

"Come on, girl!" Alya waggled her phone and winked. "It's just a bit of fun!"

"And I wouldn't mind." Marinette whipped her head around a bit too fast and her pigtails wrapped around her legs. She nearly tripped before Adrien caught her. "Whoa, you okay, Princess?"

' _ _Again with the Princess thing!__ ' "Ye-yeah, fine." As he helped her untangle herself from her wig, she looked back up at him and said, "You, uh, w-wouldn't mind?"

"Marinette, we came, like, __this close–__ " he held up his fingers a couple centimeters apart "–to kissing when we were filming that horror movie." He blushed and scratched the back of his head. "I...wouldn't mind you being my first kiss. But only if you're okay with it."

' _ _Oh god you have no idea how okay I am with this oh god your first kiss I'm going to blow this so hard NO DON'T THINK ABOUT BLOWING GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER!'__

"Uh, sure," she squeaked. "Just, uh, can we do it somewhere...private?"

"Ooh," Alya cooed. "Want some romantic atmosphere?"

"No!" Marinette cried, but blushed when she realized just how loudly she'd spoke. "No, just...knowing my luck, Chloé will walk over the moment we do this. She'll either think I'm gay or figure out Adrien's crossdressing and blab to his dad. I'd rather not deal with either scenario."

The others agreed and that was how they found themselves in a vacant hallway just off of the main ballroom. Nino had set the longest slow song he could before leaving his DJ table partly so he would have time before the next song came up, but mostly to distract Chloé. Adrien leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed. He was trying to look calm and collected, but the redness on his face was definitely not due to his makeup. Marinette also tried to appear together, but she was vibrating in her skin. She was about to kiss Adrien so no one could blame her. It seemed a bit odd that her first kiss with him would involve him crossdressing, but for some reason she didn't care. It was still Adrien under all of that.

"Alright!" Alya aimed her phone at the Sailor duo. "Ready to start rolling!"

"H-hey!" Marinette sputtered. "You said __picture__ not __video__!"

Alya shrugged. "To-may-to, to-mah-to."

"They are not the same thing!"

"Actually," Adrien interjected, "video is just a bunch of pictures taken in quick succession and pieced together in–" Marinette glared at him "–I'm not helping am I?" She shook her head. "You know, Marinette, if you're not okay with this..."

Her eyes widened and she waved her hands. "No, no! I'm okay with this. I'm just...camera...shy?" she whined uncertainly playing with one of her pigtails.

"Well, take it from someone who spends a lot of time in front of a camera," Adrien slinked closer to Marinette. "It's not that bad. It's not like anyone other than us is going to see this, right?" He turned his head to the spotted blogger. " _ _Right__?"

"Of course not!" she assured them. "Just saving it for posterity. You know...inside joke among friends, something to embarrass you at birthdays..." Alya lowered her voice. "Show your kids someday..."

"What was that?" Marinette snapped.

"Nothing!"

"Just get on with it already!" Nino complained. He checked the time on his phone. "I've got maybe two minutes left on the song."

Marinette looked up into Adrien's eyes, still shaking, still unsure of herself. "Just forget the camera's there," Adrien whispered. "Focus on me."

She nodded. Alya counted down from three on her fingers and pointed at the pair.

"Listen up, odango-chan." Adrien's voice took on a husky yet still feminine quality. Had he practiced this? "Don't get in our way." He stepped closer to Marinette, slipping his fingers beneath her chin.

' _ _Oh god here it comes! Am I ready for this? Of course I'm ready for this! I'm Ladybug! I won't let a kiss be my undoing!'__

"Fighting games are too dangerous, Princess." Then he closed his eyes and settled his lips on Marinette's.

Her eyes widened., but not because Adrien Agreste was kissing her. Okay, partly because he was kissing her, but it was mostly because he had called her Princess again. Yes, it was the third time he had done so tonight, but this time, it was the way he had said it. No, __purred__ it. Enjoys not being himself, calls her Princess, and those oh so familiar lips...

No, her eyes widened because there was no doubt in her mind that the lips currently pressed against her own belonged to Chat Noir.

Adrien pulled away after only a few seconds, leaving Marinette flushed and gasping. Alya was saying something and high-fiving Nino, Nino was complaining about getting back to his tables, and Adrien... He was in just as much awe as her. They stood there, facing each other, oblivious to Alya dragging Nino away to, as she put it, 'give the lovebirds some privacy.'

Adrien was the first to break the silence between them, a bashful blush on his face "That was...n-nice, Marinette."

She shook herself from her stupor and put on a smirk of her own. "What? Not calling me 'Princess' anymore, kitten?"

"Well, I figure I'm not in character any..." His words skidded to a stop and he angled his eyes at her. "What did you call me?"

"Oh, would you pre- _ _fur__ I call you by a different __meow__ -niker?"

His face dropped but tried to hide his shock with a forced chuckle. "Uh, Marinette, um, why? W-why are you talking, er, punning like Chat Noir?"

Marinette giggled. Hearing him stuttering for once made her night. "You mean talking like you?"

He stopped breathing. His pupils dilated and his hands shook. But Marinette kept her challenging gaze locked on him. Where did this sudden surge of bravery come from? Did realizing Adrien was just her flirtatious kitten make that much of a difference? No, not __just.__ There was nothing __just__ about Chat Noir. It was knowing she trusted Adrien above all others. Knowing he was already her best friend, even if he didn't know it yet.

"I called you Princess too many times," he squeaked.

"You called me Princess too many times," she confirmed, nodding.

"Please don't tell Ladybug."

"What? That you blew your identity, that you kissed me before her, or..." she dropped her eyes below his waist, "that you look great in a skirt?"

He cringed, looked down at himself, then back up with pleading eyes. "All of the above?"

She giggled again and flicked the jewel on his bow, just like she would flick the bell on his suit. "You're secret is safe with me, silly kitty."

He pulled her into a tight embrace, only made slightly awkward by his counterfeit cleavage. Marinette blushed at first, but soon returned the hug. "Thank you so much, Marinette. What did I do to deserve a friend like–"

A shriek, not unlike that of a banshee, tore through the hallways. They broke their embrace and clamped their hands down on their ears. Once the scream ceased, they turned to face the direction of the ballroom, likely the source of the sound.

"Ten euros says Chloé got someone akumatized," Marinette mumbled.

"I'm not taking that bet," Adrien growled. He yanked off his right glove to reveal his ring and stretched out the neckline of his leotard. Something squirmed inside his bust and from his costume emerged a tiny, black cat-like creature. Marinette knew it was his kwami but also knew she wasn't supposed to know that.

"What's that?" she pointed, trying to fake innocence.

"Mari, Plagg. Plagg, Mari. He's the source of my powers," he explained, waving his hand between the two. She reached out and scratched her finger under Plagg's chin, which elicited a tiny purr from the kwami. Adrien stepped between them and said, "Proper introductions can wait, right now..."

" _ _Right now__ ," Plagg whined. "I need Camembert. Being stuck inside that stupid bra thing was __soooo__ uncomfortable."

"You ate just before we got here!"

"And I need to eat again!" Plagg humphed and crossed his arms. "You wonder why your father won't allow you to have pets. You'd starve them!"

"Not exactly cooperative, is he?" Marinette asked, concealing a giggle behind her hand.

"You don't know the half of it." He turned back to Plagg. "Look, we transform now, I'll get you two wheels of Camembert after the fight."

Plagg shook his head. "One now, one later."

"We don't have time!"

"We both understand the traditions of this human holiday," Plagg smirked, "so either I get a treat or you get a trick."

"I'll take my chances. Claws out!" Plagg became a black swirl spiraling into the ring. Green light erupted around Adrien and Marinette had to shield her eyes. Was this how much light she put off when she transformed? When the light finally faded, she lowered her hand, but immediately clamped it over her mouth to stifle her laughter.

"What?" Chat asked. "What's so funn..." He stopped when he heard his own voice a register higher than it should be. Saw his hair down in front of his eyes, longer than it should be. Shifted on his feet, taller than he should be. He brought his claws up to his chest and a quick squeeze confirmed not rolled up socks but firm mounds of flesh inside his suit. He slid his hands down to his wide hips, his plump backside, then allowed his eyes to trail over his breasts and down to the high-heeled boots now fused to his feet. Just one last thing to check. He spun a cackling Marinette around and made her promise not to look. Not that she could register anything at this point, doubled over with laughter as she was. His blush almost unbearable, he slowly slipped a hand between his legs, only to find...

" _ _PLAGG!__ " he... _ _she__ roared.


End file.
